Who Will Play Batman in 'Man of Steel 2'?

The script is still being written, but that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from going into overdrive on guessing who will be cast as Batman in the sequel to the wildly successful Man of Steel. (Yes, Batman is going to be in a Superman movie… mind blown.) Zack Snyder is supposedly just starting to look at actors for the iconic role, but lots of knowing glances are being shared between casting experts.

Last week, the L.A. Timesgot into the spirit of things by hosting a reader generated poll with 16 candidates. Emmy award-winning Jensen Ackles from Days of Our Lives is currently in the number one spot with over 69% of the votes (at the time of this writing), over mainstay heartthrobs Bradley Cooper, Idris Elba, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Dae Kim.

However, The Hollywood Reporter says we should disregard the list of actors the LA Times lobbed out. They claim to have the real skinny on who will be cast as the next Dark Knight: “According to numerous sources, this Wayne/Batman will be in his late 30s or around the 40 mark. He will be established and rugged. This new movie will not seek to recount an origin story or the rise of The Dark Knight.”

No matter what, Batman will be well cast! 1 of 7

We loved Man of Steel, so the idea of Batman joining Superman in the sequel is all kinds of YES.

Joe Manganiello has been determined to play a superhero for ages. He is still reportedly (jokingly) fuming he missed out on being cast as Superman. There's always the Magic Mike sequel...

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Will it be Josh Brolin? 3 of 7

Lots of people consider Josh Brolin the top contender for Batman. He fits with the age range mentioned, and he hasn't had a superhero role yet.

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Will it be Matthew Goode? 4 of 7

Goodness knows we do love British actors as superheroes. Matthew is showing he does a good sequel as he is currently filming Death Comes To Pemberley, a sequel to Pride And Prejudice.

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Will it be Max Martini? 5 of 7

Fresh from his success in Pacific Rim, Max Martini is bringing the gritty quality Man of Steel filmmakers may be looking for.

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Wil it be Richard Armitage? 6 of 7

Most likely the least familiar name to American ears is Richard Armitage. Richard was most recently seen as Thorin in The Hobbit and is currently filming the final installment of The Hobbit trilogy, There and Back Again.

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Will it be Ryan Gosling? 7 of 7

If Ryan Gosling agreed to play Batman it would be HUGE, EPIC, GINORMOUS casting news. I actually can't imagine Ryan wanting to play the part, but I would really love to be proven wrong.

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